The second step is cutting the dovetail using a .359 x 60 degree
dovetail cutter (Brownell's 080-621-060).
It you have a milling machine, it is a small matter to machine a perfect dovetail with a 0.25-inch
dovetail cutter. I cut mine about 0.060-inch deep.
It was a standard 600 dovetail, so I opened it up with a
dovetail cutter on my milling machine.
Asking a
dovetail cutter to plow through a hard slide cutting on a full 180-degree path is begging for an overheated and worn (or broken) cutter, a work-hardened slide and poor cut finish.
I used a
dovetail cutter I purchased from Brownells for this.
A 45-degree
dovetail cutter will do the job, or if you are really handy, a correctly angled machinist file will suffice.
The dovetail on my front sight is not a standard 3/8" so T can't use my normal
dovetail cutter in my milling machine.
I don't have the type of machine or cutter to make the slot look like they do it at the factory, so I simply milled out the 3/8-inch slot to the proper depth and then used a 1/2-inch 45-degree
dovetail cutter for the barrel block.
The next milling cut will be made to remove material to lessen the burden for the
dovetail cutter. Wipe the previously milled area clean of any oil and use the black felt-tip marker to color an area around 5/8 inch back from the shoulder we just created with the 1/2-inch endmill.